Best Workflow

[Mike Schrengohst]

Laptop PC with Canopus?? Convert files with laptop and
copy to AXIO video drives?

[Harold Ferguson]

Sounds like a lot of extra work to me. Why not just edit in Edius Broadcast? It works for me. Stable as a Timex. Takes a licking an keeps on ticking.
Mule Ferguson
Pumpkin Creek Video

[Ben Kupfer]

Well, I don’t have Canopus. I do have Axio. I know I can convert, that’s what I’m doing now thru FCP/Quicktime. Just wondering if I’m missing something or I’ll have to wait ’til Matrox supports P2…
Thanks

[Mike Schrengohst]

I was a DigiSuite user since 1997. I have a Mac and FCP on order.

[Ben Kupfer]

I can’t argue with that. I’ve used FCP for 2 + years and it’s got many great features. It doesn’t have the real time processing power that Axio has. I’ve only owned it 2 weeks and can’t be happier with the speed of the system.

HOWEVER, I can’t wait for Matrox to release version ? for P2 support!

[Eric Steinberg]

I find myself wondering about the same. I have an Axio SD on order, and am 90% sure I’ll buy the Panasonic HVX200. I’m thinking that the soon-to-be-released Firestore external drive will be the way to go, since it holds 100 Gb, or 100 minutes HD material. My thinking is that I’ll do a firewire transfer from the Firestore into the Axio. If I was to run out of space on the Firestore while in the field, I’m guessing I would have to unload it onto a laptop or another external drive, but I am not really sure if that is the best way to do it. I guess I could buy a second Firestore if it became a problem running out of space. But most of my productions are short (commercials), so I don’t think I’d need more than 1 Firestore initially. I too, am looking forward to P2 support on the Axio!

Kind regards,
Eric

[Ben Kupfer]

The trouble with that is Axio doesn’t recognize the mxf wrapper the video files comes in. So, transferring the P2 files from a hard drive (folders labeled ‘contents’) puts the files on the Axio system but the Axio won’t be able to open ’em. You’ve got to unwrap them first… (as far as I know).

[Eric Steinberg]

Hmmm, I was under the impression that you could transfer video via firewire in a streaming mode, not just file transfer..? I hope I’ve understood this correctly, but wouldn’t the streaming transfer just be video/audio without the mxf wrapper? Here’s a quote from Panasonic’s FAQ:

Does the HVX200 have IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface?
Yes, both streaming and file transfer.

I’m getting a little nervous about this! Maybe I haven’t got a proper grasp on how this works? I certainly hope there is some way to get the footage into the Axio! I’ve ordered the Axio, but I haven’t ordered the camera yet. If I can’t get the footage cleanly into the Axio, I’ll have to consider another camera! (But which one!?) Although I’m convinced the Axio will have mxf support sooner or later, I can’t wait around for something with no announced release date. Anyone who can tell me if I’m right or wrong about how the streaming firewire transfer would work?

Kind regards,
Eric

[Mike Schrengohst]

I would consider a different editing solution. If you want to shoot and edit HD without going broke then P2 is the way to go. You could use the workarounds suggested to edit P2 on the AXIO. Until Matrox or Adobe “get it” I am afraid you will be stuck renting a VariCam and using DVCPRO HD from a $21,000 deck or god forbid – shooting HDV!!

[Ben Kupfer]

You can stream the footage into the Axio via firewire from the camera. That’s not a problem. I’ve done it and it works fine, looks great! But, the problem arises when you’ve shot multiple P2 cards, and download the cards to a hard drive. Those files on the hard drive don’t stream into the Axio… Only from the camera.

My current workaround is to go thru FCP, use the .mov files into Axio. Until NAB I THINK that’s the only way to do it… get it out of the MXF wrapper and into a file fomat recognized by Axio.